The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-26
COURTSHIP IN MORMONDOM
Two Girls Relate Their Experiences
with Numerous Polygamic Lovers.
ABroken- Hearted Wife Pleading with Another
Woman to Marry Her Husband-Twenty
Proposals Of Marriage in Seven Days.
1t fake Letter in St. Louis Globe. Democrat

| oered lords and masters who have covenanted to
| love. honor and cherish half-dozen wives at a
| time. There others who married to
young Mormon gentlemen, and who will not
listen to the slightest suggestion of poygamy.
| Their husbands will say they know and believe
that the principle is right but all the same one
| wife is enough for Them They say this because
| they aware that if they wanted to take
| another wife the pretty companion they
| have would tear out their hair by the roots. I
was introduced the other night to of Brig
| ham Youngs daughters. She is charming
brunette educated and accomplished, and, al
| though Mormon as far as religious convictions
| are concerned, she is not ignorant of the fact
| that she had sixteen mothers when her delight
full old papa died. and she does not believe there
was anything wrong in this plurality of moth
ers Yet she will not let her husband even talk
| of polygamy. You should her dark eyes
| snap and the determined expression that is
forced into her red lips when any body suggests
that her Charley may any of these fine days
bring home a second wife.
Just let him try it once" she remarked. pat
ting small foot on the floor; just let him
bring her. and If | don't furnish him and her
with the biggest circus they saw, then my
name isn't what it is that's all.
And her husband Is the son OF Mormon
bishop, too The old man has seven wives and
thirty-sx children, aud he has served a term in
the Utah penlten tiary for unlawful cohabtation
daughter is not the only young wife here who is
stubbornly opposed polygamy. You hear
from every eide statements concerning young
women related to all sorts of Mormon dignitaries
who make 1t a condition when they accept the
husband that these latter must renounce at
least far its practice is concerned, the doc
trne of plural marriage And you hear Mormon
girls of marriageable age denaunce the sys-
tenn If they belong to poygamic families
they do not hesitate to speak of the misery
and that dwell in and three and
four wife homes. They denounce the system.
and many of them, rather than run the chance of
being dragged into polygamy, sock their beaux
and lovers among the GENTLE young men of the
community. j had talk to-day with two young
ladies of this kind, a good looking blonde and
heart winning brunette. One Is eighteen, the
other twenty. Both English girls
and have Mormon parents They their
prayers morning and night, AS is the custom in
all Mormon families, and until recently neither
was out of her house after 8 o'clock at night.
They believe in their church. but not in poyga-
my, and of them has two brothers, both
Mormons. who, she saws. would kill her. If she
became the second third wife of any man. l
opened the convers alton by asking them in jest,
why they didn't get married.
"Oh 1t isn't because we haven't had chances"
said of them half saucily when I came
here, four years ago. wasn't in the town two
weeks before had over twenty offers of mar
riage, and some OF them from high-up gentle
men, too. with plenty of means"
''And why didn't you hook on to one of them"
/ asked
Because didn't want to go into polyeamv"
she answered. They ali who had
wives. and some of them were old enough to be
shot. / wouldn't marry in polygamy not for all
the world. My mother wouldn t let ne do it,
either"
~ cent your people good Mormous?"
"Oh, yes sir; the strictest kind of Mormons;
but came from England, where there isn't
any such thing in the Mormon church polyg
amy. We hear of 1t over there, and there is
sometimes talk of missionary elder having
more than wife, but he's got to be mighty
slick and quiet about them or he'll get himself
into trouble We have to come to Utah to see
uhoty1 .S Grayy Ink 10 1nrfQ "
terrible l have seen all l want of it, and
neither king nor prophet nor any body else could
change my mind in favor of it.
What does your mother think of itE'
"Oh, she and Father think polygamy is ali
right. and that it revealed by God to the
Prophet Joseph, but father dare not take an
other wife if he wanted to- and he don't want to,
as he thinks one wife is as many as he can do
justice to. 1 have time and again. heard
mother say that if father married second wife
she would kill both of them. 1t is an awful
thing to imagine the feelings of woman
when she is obliged to welcome another woman
into her house and share husband and home
with her. Nobody tell what it is unless
they have been into such homes and listened to
the stories of the grieving. heart broken wives
l tell you these polygamists do great deal of
blowing about themselves and about how good
they are to one another, but you should the
manner in which they treat their wives and
chidren-meanness isn't name for it,"
"Have many polygamists asked for your
hand2"
Lake a week whom Mormon gentleman called
at the house and asked father if he might marry
me. Father said You'll have to get her con-
sent first and when that's done Ill look into
your record Bless your soul. didn't he call
again that very night and propose told him
I'd have to consider it awhile before could give
him my answer had some other beaus around
already, and one of them going by at 10 o'clock
saw the Mormon in the house Do you know
who that sF he asked me. Yes he's so-and-so,'
that soP said l. Yes. said he, and he's got
two wives oh, myp said l, and l wilted.
He called to see father again, but he got
a cold answer and / never was bothered by him
any moro. But was bothered by others, and |
particularly by the old chaps They were by
far the worst. They would see me on the street |
and lay their plans to get acquainted with me. |
They came to the house and begged my father, |
but he said One old fellow. almost seventy |
five. with four wives on his hands, came to the |
house one day, and thought he had some bust |
ness with father. He talked around for awhile. |
and | laughed and chatted with him, not sus- |
pecting anything Finally he told me he had |
been dreaming about That's nice, l re- |
Piled But said he 1 dreamt that we had |
been married., and from this he went with
his nonsense until he actually asked me to have |
him. I told him I'd slap his face if he said any |
more. but he went to father any how and argued |
the matter with him until father told him to go
about his business and take care of the wives he
had before he went looking for another one.
Were all your wooers polygamistsP
Eyes, every one of them
How many had your
ooh, dozens and dozens didn't keep count
but after was here a they it
was no use and let me alone. linen tnere was
the Edmunds law to correct and hold them in
place Mine has been the experience of every
young girl VINO came to Utah previous to 1888.
And were many of them taken int Why. bless
you, yes; there some old hoary- headed ras
Gals dragging their feet along the streets of Salt
Lake to-day that have the prettiest young wives
you clapped your eyes upon
Are you keeping company with Mormon
young MANI"
oh dear. no. My fellow is a centl e.
have had him two years. When he came to
our house the first night mother asked him if he
was Mormon, and he said Then she told
him there coming after her daughter
unless he intended to join the Mormon Church.
He hasn't been to the house since, but we love
each other and we're going be married,
whether the old folks like it The young
Mormors haven't got anything and they don't
look If they would have anything
what's the of young girl marrying themp